‘Two Nights Tour’ lands in Germany - all you need to know

Dec 29, 2024·Ski Jumping

Katharina Schmid (GER) has won three World Cup contests this season ©Authamayou/NordicFocus

The Two Nights Tournament returns to the women’s ski jumping World Cup schedule for a second successive season, with defending champion Nika Prevc (SLO) and World Cup leader Katharina Schmid (GER) among those set for two sensational showdowns.

After the initial Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) World Cup qualifying (30 Dec) and main competition (31 Dec), the field will then reconvene in Oberstdorf (GER) for the conclusion (1 Jan).

The event, which was originally known as the ‘Silvester Tour’ and took place across Austria and Slovenia, was rebranded as the ‘Two Nights Tour’ for the 2023/24 campaign.

It now takes place in Germany, matching the start of the men’s Four Hills Tournament, with each of the two legs taking place in the reverse order to the men’s competition.

The two competitions also share similar rules, with qualifiers also set to face-off in a series of duels to decide the placements and qualifiers for the final competition round.

The ski jumper with the highest overall points total from the two World Cup events will be crowned the 2024/25 'Two Nights Tour' champion.

The format is very cool and will definitely be exciting!– Lisa Eder (AUT)

Austrian Eder is currently third in the overall World Cup standings and is looking to “pick up” where she left off after attaining two podium finishes so far this season.

She is second behind Prevc (SLO), who won last year’s Crystal Globe, with the season’s standout performer Schmid (GER) currently atop of the rankings.

The German is keen to build on her three victories and two second-place finishes so far during her 2024/25 campaign, particularly now she is back competing in her homeland.

“It’s really special to jump in front of my home crowd in both Garmisch and Oberstdorf,” Schmid tells FIS.

“It’s exciting to know my family, friends and also my fan club will be there cheering for me and I hope other spectators will come to support us as well.”

Team-mate Selina Freitag (GER) is fourth in the World Cup standings, thanks largely to her second and third-place finishes on the opening weekend of the season in Lillehammer (NOR).

The 23-year-old is looking to return to form after challenging events in Zhangjiakou (CHN) and Engelberg (SUI) in recent weeks.

“After all the weeks we’ve been through I have a really good feeling,” says Freitag. “I’m really looking forward to the Tour Nights Tour as I’ve jumped a lot in Garmisch and I know Oberstdorf.

“I think it will be really cool jumping and I hope we have some good weather too.”

Schmid (left), Prevc and Freitag ©Authamayou/NordicFocus

After concluding in Germany, the men’s Four Hills competition moves on to two further venues in Austria and there is growing optimism that the women’s calendar will match this format in the coming seasons.

"Every year in which the women are not involved in analogue events (matching the men’s program) is, in my opinion, a lost year for ski jumping in general and for the women in particular," said German Ski Association sports director Horst Hüttel.

“There’s a small chance of implementing the whole things as early as 25/26, but it should be ready by the season after the next Winter Olympics in 2026 at the latest.”

Schmid, like the majority of the women’s field, fully supports the idea of an expanded Two Nights Tour, to replicate the men’s Four Hills Tournament, but for now, she is focusing on the positives.

“I see the glass as half-full,” she says. “We have half a ski jump tour, but I’m just happy we have the competitions and of course it’s very important that they are on German hills.”